This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Halisi'sApartment – May 1, 2018
Ilyna wakes abruptly and stares wide eyed at the wall for a few seconds until she realizes where she is -- Halisi's apartment. That alone is not enough to completely calm her down though, so she lets out a sigh and carefully gets out of bed. Ilyna walks to the living room, not checking on whether she woke Halisi up.
It's 2:30am on December 3rd, and the only outside light is the faint glow of moonlight getting through the clouds. The gusts from the storm outside can almost be felt inside the apartment.
Li is still on the couch, stirring a little as the windows shudder in the wind. Her grip on the blanket Halisi provided for her tightens.
Ilyna listens for a moment for any signs of either of them waking before crossing the living room and stopping by the couch. A small sigh of relief escapes her as she sees Li. Ilyna casts a glance back at the door to be bedroom, but instead of going back to bed, she sits down on the couch; trying not disturb Li as she does.
Li stirs more as Ilyna sits, pulling the blanket up higher and mumbling quietly to herself as she buries her face against the pillow.
Ilyna is completely still for a moment, just watching and listening. She's still asleep, it looks like, but her stirring does still evoke a frown. She reaches over to place a hand on Li's arm to try to comfort her without waking her.
Li stirring seems to grow in intensity, but when Ilyna's hand touches her arm she snaps into a sitting position almost instantly, drawing rapid and uneven breaths as her gaze darts around, seeming to look past Ilyna in the dark of the apartment, her presence unnoticed judging by the distant, confused and fearful look on Li's face.
Ilyna looks incredibly worried as Li snaps awake. Her first instinct was to pull her close for a hug, but that might not be a good idea when Li may not have noticed her yet, and she refrains from doing so. "It's just me," Ilyna whispers before shifting closer and putting her hand back on Li's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I... didn't mean to wake you up."
Li doesn't respond or acknowledge Ilyna right away, her rapid breathing continuing as she stares past the asari, eyes wide in the dark.
Ilyna lets go for a second to shift closer and wrap her arm over her shoulders, and pull her towards herself. "Li?" she whispers, and tries to follow her gaze into the apartment. Ilyna doesn't think there's anything dangerous in here -- she would have noticed that by now --, but it doesn't hurt to look.
Li seems to snap out of whatever nightmare she had trouble shaking, her arms wrapping around Ilyna and hugging her tightly as she buries her face against her, turning away from the dark, empty corner her gaze was focused on.
Ilyna looks at the empty corner for a moment more before turning back and pulling Li closer. She looks at her, looking a bit pained; she has much more important things on her mind right now that her neck injury. "You had a bad dream too?" she asks in a whisper.
Li doesn't answer right away, but eventually there's a nod - and nothing else. She shows no sign of letting go of the hug.
Ilyna plants a brief kiss on the top of her head before looking back up, wincing at the sharp pain she felt from straining her neck that way. She stares ahead at the pitch black screen as she waits for the pain to lessen. "That's normal after… everything we've been through," she whispers. "I wish it wasn't."
Ilyna closes her eyes. "It's... it's okay, you don't need to say anything," she whispers. Ilyna would give a lot to know the exact thing to say right now. However, all she can do right now is be there for Li and try as many times as she can to help the girl through these troubled times. "You won't forget any of this," Ilyna continues, still keeping her voice low. "If only it was that easy...." She lifts a
hand to gently stroke the back of her head. "You will learn to live with these memories," she says. "The smiles, the joy, the simple things in life... they'll comes back. I... I can promise you that."
Li still says nothing. Ilyna's words seem lost on a young and frightened mind. She just adjusts her position, curling up into a ball in the safety of Ilyna's lap.
Halisi passes by the couch without announcing her presence, perhaps not wanting to interrupt. It's unclear how long she's been awake. She lingers with a hand on the backrest, studying Li with a sad smile before looking over at Ilyna as the asari struggles to comfort her.
Ilyna sighs, not sure what to expect in response from Li. Hopefully she listened, but it likely won't be the last time Ilyna remind her. Ilyna does eventually notice someone behind her, and snaps her gaze to the side, gritting her teeth for a moment at the pain that motion caused. "I'm so sorry, I... I didn't mean to wake you up," she says, still keeping her voice low.
Halisi makes note of Ilyna's apparent pain, but she's quick to respond to her apology with a shake of her head and a gentle smile. "You need to stop apologizing." she says softly. She's still wearing her makeshift t-shirt nightgown, her hair little worse for wear from sleep. "What are you two doing up at this hour, anyhow?" she asks quietly, stroking Li's hair as her attention turns briefly to the girl before going back to
Ilyna frowns and turns her attention back to stare ahead. Waking Halisi up is something to apologize for -- she's got important work to do in the morning --, but Ilyna knows arguing that would be futile. "Bad dreams," she says.
Halisi sighs softly, giving Li's head a gentle pat before heading over towards the kitchen to fill up a container of water. "Can't have that..." she says. "Would you like to stay in the bedroom, Li?"
Li nods without lifting her head, and Halisi ends up looking to Ilyna in search of any indication of the girl's response, all the while putting the water in a boiler.
Ilyna looks a bit unsure about letting go, but the girl does need the rest, so she does reluctantly loosen the hug. She nods as Halisi looks to her for an answer. "Do you want me to come with you?" she asks, looking back at Li.
Li seems to have no plans on going without Ilyna. The question prompts an immediate nod, and she remains in the couch for now, holding her hand.
Halisi glances back towards them. "How about some tea, hm?" After a less than enthusiastic lack of response from Li she adds: "...or a cookie? If... that's alright with your mom?" she adds with a faint smirk and a glance towards Ilyna.
Ilyna looks up at Halisi with a tilt of her head as she offers a midnight snack just as she was about to go tuck Li into bed. "One cookie is alright with mom," she says with a slight smile, looking back at Li.
Halisi nods, her smirk lingering slightly as she notices Ilyna's expression. Current circumstances seem a fair exception to normal cookie-having rules. She pours the hot water into a pair of cups, opening a cupboard to fetch a cookie for Li, as well as a glass of water.
Li 's gaze wanders briefly to the window and the howling of the wind outside, but she quickly refocuses on Halisi in the kitchen, remaining silent but keeping a tight grip of Ilyna's hand.
Ilyna gives Li's hand a gentle squeeze before looking back at Halisi. "Thank you," she says as she watches her prepare. "We would probably still be sitting here in the morning if you hadn't interrupted." She lets out a weak chuckle.
Halisi smiles softly, putting the cups, glass, and cookie on a tray and carrying it over to the couch, where she takes a seat on the other side of Li, putting the tray on the coffee table. "That's no good." she says, mirroring Ilyna's chuckle. "I'm sure I don't need to lecture either of you on the importance of a good night's sleep, hm?"
Li furrows her eyebrows slightly, looking up at Halisi. Just the presence of casual conversation seems to relax her a little, calmed by the sense of normalcy.
Ilyna smiles slightly, "Who said we would still be awake?" Ilyna reaches for the tray to take one of the cups with her free hand, carefully bringing it up to her lips. "Besides, I'm not needed at work in the morning, if at all tomorrow."
Halisi takes the other cup, sipping it. It's fairly unremarkable, but nice tea, if one likes such things. The steam that rises from the hot liquid has a pleasant, relaxing smell. "I could also lecture you on the importance of a proper sleeping-surface." she comments with a small, brief smirk before encouraging Li to take the cookie. "All yours. Quick, before mom changes her mind!" she says, summoning a playful tone despite
Li snatches up the cookie, Halisi's comment prompting a brief hint of a mischievous grin, although it fades quickly. She studies it in silence before nibbling on it a bit, her gaze wandering out at the moonlit snow whipping by in the wind outside.
Ilyna grins in return. "Of course you'd do," she says. A chuckle escapes her at Li's hurried reaction, as if Ilyna would do such a thing, but she doesn't say anything about it. She sniffs the steam from the warm liquid, but she waits for it to cool a bit before drinking any of it.